How'd our year stack up to our goals? 2016 in Review

Wow 2016 is over in a couple of hours and in the books. First, I want to send you all an extreme thanks and appreciation for taking this journey over the last year with me. Hopefully, you have learned something from one of my posts or one of the posts I've shared and that you've modified/improved some of those ideas and made them your own. I want to review our year here and share some things that I've learned along the way. Of course, hind sight is usually 20-20

Part of the reason that I share my goals with you and in a public forum is to help hold myself accountable to those goals. It's much easier to keep things moving forward when you can share thoughts and get feedback along the way. Thanks to those of you who have commented on posts or sent a message of encouragement or wisdom!! Well let's dive in to my dreams and desires for 2016. Goals:Finances:1. I will start saving to purchase my own property. I am using the 52 Week Challenge. You can learn more about this in the facebook and tweets later today. FAILED: Started off strong, then I had hours cut back at work and life got in the way.2. I will continue self financing expansion and projects with money earned through the egg sales and hopefully produce sales this year.ACCOMPLISHED: Every new step has been financed because of previous steps/actions taken.3. I will continue to evaluate and alter practices and procedures to be more effective and achieve better financial results.ACCOMPLISHED: I am continuing with the hens and some of the garden veggies. Some of the veggies I thought I'd produce were too labor and water intensive to be profitable.4. I will keep my records organized.ACCOMPLISHED: Well until the move started anyways... lolOrganization:1. I will be more organized with my filing and data entry.ACCOMPLISHED: Well until the move started anyways... lol2. I will organize tools and parts by use and frequency of need.ACCOMPLISHED: Well until the move started anyways... lol

Reformation:1. I will practice more permaculture and holistic management on the homestead this year. At least to the extent possible on this property.ACCOMPLISHED: I did the best I could on the old property, took an online Permaculture Class to develop new skills and knowledge which I will put to work on the new property.2. I am moving existing raised beds and adding more, using natural shading and natural water flow to determine the best plant selection.ACCOMPLISHED: I added 3 more raised beds. On the new homestead I plan to have 10 by the end of the year.3. I will add perennial vegetables into the raised beds and berries, grapes and fruit trees (in containers of course) this year.ACCOMPLISHED: I added blueberries, boysenberries, gojis, grapes and apple trees.4. I will find and add other outlets for the egg and produce sales.ACCOMPLISHED: I found 2 local Farmers Markets to vend at (once the flock is re-established)5. I will switch to more organic products- cleaning, toiletries this year and establish a greywater system.KINDA: I did switch to natural cleaners but did not expand the greywater from just the laundry. 6. I will put a rain harvesting system in place.FAILED: Due to finances and landlord restraints I could not harvest rainwater on the old property.7. I will be more involved in local civic/environmental organizations this year.ACCOMPLISHED: I continued to fight the city's Urban Ag until the last and I helped fight to convert an unused school into a permaculture center and to expand community gardening programs.8. I will continue to find new uses for old items and recycle more.ACCOMPLISHED: Cut out single use items and have been finding multiple uses for old items. Turned a broken toilet and wheelbarrow into planters. Using a burn pit to turn cardboard, mail and paper into nutrients for the garden.9. I will increase my composting efficiency.ACCOMPLISHED: The hens turn and root through the compost now and add their own nutrients as well.10. I will discover and use more natural methods of predator and pest control. Cactus around perimeter fencing, etc.FAILED: Epically failed this one!! Just before and during the move I lost half of my girls to a still unidentified predator. The local Game and Fish Dept thinks I had either a bobcat or coatimundi.

Education:1. I will learn more about permaculture and aquaponics and incorporate as much as I can.ONGOING: I took an online class for Permaculture through Oregon State Univ. and plan on taking a local aquaponics class. I also read a ton of books and magazines on these subjects.2. I will learn to can and preserve my harvests this year.FAILED: I did not find a local canning class. My new landlady and good friend however, is pretty good at canning, which she learned from her family.3. I will learn more about alternative building methods. I found a local group that makes adobe another that uses straw bales and cob as a building material.KINDA: While I gained knowledge, I did not get to practice or participate in any building projects.4. I will join blogging networks and improve my posts.ACCOMPLISHED: I did join a couple of blogging groups and am learning about producing a vlog, though I am more comfortable behind a camera than in front of one.

Simplify:1. I will declutter my possessions. This one seems contradictory, since as homesteaders we have a tendency to stockpile things to use or repurpose later. It can be done and organized so as to give a neater appearance.ACCOMPLISHED: I have things grouped and stored together by use- irrigation, electrical, etc.2. I will donate, sell or recycle things that I have not used in at least 6 months. Clothings, books, magazines, etc.KINDA: I did a lot more of this just before the move than at the beginning of the year. I found a lot of things that I hadn't used in a while. 3. I will distance myself from Negative Nancies and Gloomy Gusses. We all have them in our lives, those people that you share an idea, project or thought with that come up with 100 reasons why something can't be done or won't work. ACCOMPLISHED: I streamlined my friends list and associated more with my positive friends and dvoted les time to negative or dramafilled ones.4. I will eliminate projects that are not producing the desired results.ACCOMPLSIHED: I teminated growing plans for veggies that took up too much time, energy or water.

Time Management:1. I will manage my time, instead of time managing me when it comes to projects and activities. (In homesteading, we ARE on Mother Nature's schedule when it comes to crops and animals.)KINDA: I am still underestimating the time to completion on projects. Not sure how to solve this unless like Scotty in StarTrek, I just need to double my plan time and when it is done sooner, celebrate that as a success.2. I will work less off farm hours.FAILED: The part time job has become a full 40 hours off farm job.4. I will eliminate activities that are not productive. ACCOMPLISHED: 5. I will stop procrastinating. Eh, maybe this one can wait a bit... Just kidding ;)KINDA: I am better at this than I was but I still have a long way to go before I can mark this one accomplished.

Let me, I mean us now that I have some help from Courtney, know how you made out in 2016. Was it everything you'd hoped for or better??

Have a safe and Happy New Years!! Join us tomorrow for some of our 2017 Goals!!

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